SCOTT Parker hailed the “amazing achievement” by Cherries’ pitch perfect staff, after they won the Championship’s Grounds Team of the Season award.

Head of grounds Ian Lucas and his team have claimed the EFL prize for their work over the 2021/22 campaign.

Speaking about the condition of the playing surface at Vitality Stadium, Parker said: “An amazing job and full credit (to them).

“We certainly haven’t come across any other pitch as good as we have been playing on here at our stadium. It’s an amazing achievement and the boys work hard.

“I am glad they have been awarded that.”

Lucas told the club website: “There are some serious hours that go into it, especially on a matchday.

“We can do 14-hour days on a matchday sometimes, so it’s quite nice at the end of it all, after you have done all those hours and all that work, you do think it was well worth it in the end.”

He added: “It’s good after the team’s promotion, you can’t ask any more than that.

“As you work in this industry, you do think and hope that you making a better playing surface does help the team.

“It’s quite nice to feel that you are a cog as part of a wheel that turns together.”